"Circle Of Souls is a short film about a woman trapped in an existential dreamstate. She meets various people who seem to be offering clues to help her escape. Or perhaps they are leading her deeper and deeper into a nightmarish trap? It's very open to personal interpretation."

It's a very short, short film!

"Yes, 4 minutes! It's kind of an experiment really. I normally produce documentaries and this is the first narrative film I have written. I wanted it to appear to be like a pre-titles sequence, or a trailer. Something exciting that would grab your interest and leave you wanting more.Viewers may find themselves watching it a number of times to try & work out what's going on."

Who are the actors?

"The part of 'The Woman' is played by actress Alicia Ancel who's part was filmed in a single session one Sunday in February. The exterior shots were filmed in Cranmore Woods in Somerset, not far from my house and the interiors were filmed in my kitchen.Alicia then recorded additional dialogue in the studio. She was a joy to work with. What a professional. Just right for the part. Brilliant!"

"The part of the Harbinger (who had a working title of Mystic Lady), was played by Christine Sweetman. As soon as I saw Christine's photo, I knew she could play the part well. Again she did it in a single day, but the character was created during the session. Christine tried out loads of different styles and then we hit on the idea of making her a bit evil and terrifying and that seemed to work well, so we went with that. In the script she was alot softer. Christine's voice is dubbed by Cherry Lawson, who is part of the Evercreech Drama Society and a neighbour of mine."

"The soldier is played by me, but filmed at a different time of year to Alicia's part, who he's supposed to be talking to in the woods. I had to wait most of the Winter before it stopped raining and I could get to the location where I wanted to film. Even then, it was still showering pretty bad. We had to film as much as possible between the downpours!"

How long was it in post production?

"I spent ages in post, editing, matching scenes & dialogue, colouring. Things like the opening shot were quite labour intensive. That tower was filmed during the day against a clear blue sky. So I repaced the sky with a kind of green smoke and then added some lightning that you see light up the face of the tower. I think it's worth taking time if a cutaway will add depth & a sense of location to the scene. I also spent alot of time on producing all the music and SFX to fit the mood and atmosphere of the film. The entire post prod took around 8 weeks."

What is the future for Circle Of Souls?

" I'm hoping to make a sequel that will tell you more about the characters and the dilemma faced by the Woman. It's early days yet, but I'm hoping people will enjoy visiting this little world that I have made for them with the help of these wonderful actors!" Simon Power